1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to macerating meat and particularly to methods and apparatus for macerating meat in which the meat is crushed and slitted by rotating blunt edge discs so that the slitting elements may enter the meat more deeply than if the meat had not been crushed; differential speed of discs enhances maceration by tearing.
2. Prior Art
There are numerous devices generally available for macerating meat. It is necessary to macerate meat because curing of a piece of meat proceeds more completely and rapidly if the curing agent can penetrate into the piece of meat through the macerations. Frequently, the macerating elements tend to expand the meat so that when the macerating elements are removed, the piece of meat contracts to its normal dimensions. The macerations are not sufficiently deep to permit a deep penetration of the curing agents. Thus when the macerating elements are projected against a piece of meat from opposite sides, the central core of the piece of meat becomes densified while the peripheral portions are being slit. When such a result occurs, the curing agents do no deeply penetrate to the central core of the meat which may thereupon be only partially cured. Other methods and apparatus are only adapted to macerate a piece of meat on one side and such pieces of meat must be turned and run through the macerator for a second time. Other apparatus makes no provision for handling pieces of meat having a different width and length and therefore cannot handle very large meat segments. Usually, the slitting elements rotate at the same identical rates.